Domaine Jean-Louis Chave tasting at Digress Wines: The Saint-Joseph and Selection wines

In describing a Domaine Jean-Louis Chave wine, Master Sommelier Ian Cauble (of SOMM fame) wrote "it is impossible to tell the story of France's Rhône Valley or the Syrah grape without referencing this family's enormous contribution." In the same piece, Ian points to Jancis Robinson affirming that "... in the entire northern Rhône Valley, 'no one is more respected than Domaine Jean-Louis Chave'."

So it was a very big deal when Digress Wines recently partnered with Progress Wine Group to host a tasting of Chave wines for its customers. I have previously reported on our tasting of the Hermitage flight and now turn my attention to the St. Joseph and J-L Chave Selection wines.

Lineup of Chave wines tasted at Digress Wines event.
Photo credit: Brian Herbst

The Saint-Joseph wines are sourced from Chave-owned vineyards while the Selection wines are the fruit of a negociant business where there is a mix of owned vineyards and purchased fruit. In the cases where fruit is purchased, JL Chave either farms the land or manages the growers tightly to ensure that Chave-quality fruit makes it into the wine.

The map below is drawn from my post on the St-Joseph appellation and shows its commune-level structure. The tables immediately following show the actual climat-level sources for both the Saint-Joseph and Selection wines.

Table 1. Vineyard sources for Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph wine.

Commune	Climat	Soils	Vine Age	Comments
Tournon			Some of the oldest St-Joseph vines. Some date back to pre-WWI, others to the early 1980s, but most from 1992 and 1993
	Dardouille	Granitic; some dusty loess and clay in lower reaches		Extension of the Les Olivier hill. SE exposure. Runs up to 250 m
	Les Oliviers	Granitic at the bottom but much of the soil is a clay-galet stone mix		Noted for its ripening quality
Mauves
	Les Côtes Derrière	Firm granite	2003	Most southerly site at Mauves; 30 ha
	Sapelias
St-Jean-de-Muzols
	Picchonier			Lower down on the slope
Lemps				Chaves family origin
	Les Côtes de Pouilly (known locally as Bachasson)	Full granite	1.5 ha planted every year from 1996 - 2002	Jean-Louis resurrecting this old family vineyard. Upper flank is south-facing

Table 2. Vineyard sources for JL Chave Selection wines

Label	Appellation	Variet(ies)y	Vineyards	Vineyard Age (years)	Fermentation	Aging
Circa	St. Joseph	Roussanne	Mauves (granite)	5 - 60	Barrel	Barriques — 14 months
Mon Coeur	Côtes du Rhône	Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre (~5%)	Visan (clay-limestone); Vinsobres (clay soil rich in limestone; 900 feet elevation); Cairanne (Mediterranean climate); Rasteau (used in select vintages)	20 - 60	Stainless steel tanks	12 14 months in a mix of old and new barrels, demi-muids, and large foudres
Offerus	St Joseph	Syrah	Mauves, Tournon, and St-Jean-de-Muzols supply 80% of blend. Owned vineyards. Remaining vineyards located around Serreirès. Farmed	5 - 80	50% destemmed. Fermented in wood tonneau and stainless steel tanks.	Aged in barriques and foudres for 18 months
Silene	Crozes-Hermitage	Syrah	Hillside vineyards in Larnage and Gervans; 50% owned	5 - 25	Wood tonneau and stainless steel	Aged in barriques for 15 - 18 months

We were served the 2016 Circa and Mon Coeur wines during the reception. The Circa showed white flowers and green herbs. Finely etched and mineral-driven on the palate. The minerality offset a lack of acidity. The Mon Coeur was perfumed with red fruit and vinosity dominant. Light bodied  with dried herbs and spice on the palate. Drying character on the palate.

The Offerus 2015 was spicy with some florality and elegant dark/blue fruit. Structured. Light fruit on the palate but the wine still retains its structure. Nice mineral/acid finish.

The Silene 2016 was perfumed with spice and green herbs. I was unimpressed by this wine.

The Domaine St-Joseph 2014 was aromatic with sawdust, animal, and bacon on the nose. Bacon and dark fruit on the palate. Could have been brighter. The 2012 showed bacon, blood, and herbs on the nose and palate. Saline character and pleasant red fruit on the palate. The 2009 showed spice, black fruit, and meat on the nose. Medium-bodied with blackfruit, blackpepper, and meat on the palate. Pleasing. The 2008 had a similar character to the 2009 except distinctly more blood and minerality.


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